Two hurt when car plunges down elevator shaft

Two workers were hurt when a car plunged down an elevator shaft in a Manhattan parking garage Tuesday morning.

A parking attendant was driving the vehicle into the elevator on the fifth floor of the garage just before 10 a.m., but when he pulled in, the elevator car wasn't there.

The vehicle plunged five stories down the shaft, injuring another worker on the lower floor, people familiar with the situation told NBC News.

The parking attendant who had been driving the vehicle was extricated by firefighters.

He and the other injured worker were taken to the hospital in stable condition.

There is no evidence there was any elevator malfunction.

The parking garage serves nearby businesses.

A dentist who works nearby told NBC News he doesn't recall the car elevator having any other issues apart from when it temporarily stopped working during a power outage that affected the building last winter.